Dialects
On this page you will find the dialects of the areas and locations as two types of classification: traditional classification of Louis Bonaparte Loucien Koldo Zuazo current classification. By clicking on each of them, may find the description of the dialect and the towns belonging to it.
High Navarrese
(Southern H.Navarrese) (Nothern H. Navarrese)
Historically this has been the most extended Basque dialogue, the most widely spoken and the most characteristic of Navarre. At the time of its widest historical extension it covered an area from the valleys immediately to the north of Pamplona to the most extended historical line of the Basque language in Navarre. That is to say, the line marked by Val de Lana, Valdega, La Solana, Oteiza, Villatuerta, Cirauqui, Mañeru, Puente La Reina, Valdizarbe, Artajona, Pueyo, Valdorba, Lerga, Ujué, Gallipienzo, Sada, Leache, Lumbier, Urraúl, Salazar, Roncal (all these cited towns being historically Basque speaking places). Westwards, Val de Lana and Améscoa, judging from their common place-names, undoubtedly belonged to another dialectical zone, more westerly and probably close to the extinct Basque once spoken in Álava, and the Basque spoken today in the Burunda area. Eastwardly, the valleys belonging to the Pyrennes (Salazar, Aezkoa, Roncal) come under a different dialect, but not the pre-Pyrenean area (Erro, Lintzoain, Arce) which did use this dialect. This was also the variety of Basque to be found in Pamplona.
At present speakers of this variant are to be found in the valleys of Erro and Esteribar (in total less than 500) but, except for some exceptional case, there is no natural transmission of the language now taking place.
Its historical importance cannot be underestimated. In this variety there exists written material which is linguistically very important; for example, what was probably the very first book printed in Basque; The Christian doctrine of Sancho de Elso, (there are no existing copies). El tratado de Oír Misa (The practice of attending mass) (1621) from Juan de Beriain who, as he himself puts it "is written in the form of speaking of Pamplona, the capitol of this kingdom, which is the most commonly spoken and is understood every where". And above all, the enormous pious homily from Joaquín de Lizarraga, who was parish priest in his hometown of Elcano (Egües), which is a key work in order to understand the varieties of Basque within the district of Pamplona and which are now extinct.
There also exists a large amount of written homilies without literary value but which are linguistically important, which come from all over the historical zone of this dialect.
Beyond the general characteristics of spoken Basque, the southern High Navarrese varies from the standard form in the following characteristics:
:
Morphology (verbal,nominal)/Phonetics/Lexicon/Syntax
MORPHOLOGY
Verbal
1- The main characteristic of the dialect, which reappears in some parts of Biscaya, is the lack of -n in the past form of the verbs: nue, ze, zio, etc.. This trait was common to the whole dialect, and even today it can be heard in Esteribar and Erro, but always in line with the forms with -n. In Eugi only -n exists:
zengatik orai erretrasatuenak hoik izain zire 
denen artian harpatzen zute zerrie
ta etzaike igo
Len hartaik bizi gine
gazteago ze
But cf. also:
dena eskuz in behartzen
iduri zuen adelanto at haundienetaik zela
joaten ginden etxeko azienden lana
2- In the greater part of the zone -a- appears in the past form of the strong verbs (syntetical): nakien, nauken, zakien, zagoen, zabilen... etc, (standard neukan, zebilen... etc.):
banakin ze kostunbre zuten goizez...
errota guziek hertsiik zauden
Ta ahizpe bat Albisun zauken
ta aitte ta ama hil tzaizkion
ta etzaike igo
ta haizea baldin bazabillen
apainduik ya zauken
3- The apheresis of the transitive auxiliary is very common in the present tense: tut, tuzu, etc, for ditut, dituzu, etc:
ene familien eztut zautu, zautu tut bai, bertze familietan
4- Instead of diet, diezu, zien, zaie, etc. it is very general to find forms in this zone of the type diotet (=diet), zioten (=zien), zaiote (=zaie) that is to say -ote- instead of -e-:
Zenbaiti etzaote [=zaie] iduritiko
iduritzen zaote [=zaie] gerra hori holako festa bat dela
semeei frankotan erraten dakotet [=diet]
5-In the northern zone of this dialect (Mezkiritz), forms of the nor-nori-nork are in use of the Low Navarrese kind such as dakot, zakoten, etc, for diot, zioten etc:
semeei frankotan erraten dakotet
eskribitu nindakon baetz
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
Sometimes the forms in -ako- and in -io- would seem to have crossed :
kutxilloai kanibeta deitzen daogu guk euskeraz
6- The intransitive potentials en -ke: daike, zaiken etc. (standard daiteke, zitekeen) are characteristics of this dialogue (although they also exist at least in the Ultzama and Basaburua areas):
ta etzaike igo
Han pasatu ginituen izan zaizken kalamidade handien-handienak
7- For the past of the Nor-Nori (standard zitzaion etc.), the root is -KI- instead of -TZA-: zekion/zakion instead of zitzaion:
ta aitte ta ama hil tzaizkion
8- The second person of the plural of the present tense of the nor-nork is in -zie (standard: -zue) as in the Ultzama and part of the Southern High Navarrese:
Eztakizie! Hobe duzie
etzaizie iruditzen
9- The form nitzen, without -n- (standard: nintzen) is a characteristic of all the Basque-speaking areas of Navarre (standard nintzen):
ni haurre nitzelaik
Zazpi urtez edo eztakit zenbat urtez egon nitzen ni soldado!
ni bigarren kaderatik operatu nitzelaik
ordu betian iatzarri nitzen
10- The future form of verbs finishing in -n (edan, egon, izan etc), is usually in -en. The pronunciation is habitually -ain:
zer errain dizut
eztakit noiz artio izain den
zengatik orai erretrasatuenak hoik izain zire
However, historically there have been attestations of futures in this dialect en -nko (janko, joanko), for example for Puente la Reina.
11- The participles in -tu (galdetu, barkatu, etc) hacen el futuro en -tiko, make the future in -tiko, as in Aezkoan: galdetiko, barkatiko, and when linking to behar: galdeti ihar dut (=galdetu behar dut):
ze pagati behar zuten
Orai, zer pasatiko den
zeatik auto aundiz pasatiko da
eta modifikatiko da
Zenbaiti etzaote iduritiko
Pero cf. en Usetxi:
aitu behar zen ordu aundiz
12- In this dialect the form in -rik of the verbal participle is in common use, something very rare and unusual in the Northern High Navarrese (except in the Barranca, where it is normal):
errota guziek hertsiik zauden
Prezinteturik errotak
kasik adjudiketuik Baztandei Erregerena.
nola nindeon operatuik
hilabetero ginduen konpromisua inik
apainduik ya zauken
13- This dialect does not recognize the verbal nouns in -iten (emaiten, arraiten) which are characteristic of the Northern High Navarrese and the French-Basque dialects:
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten al gauze horren gañean
haiziak ematen zuen
ezpadirete sorik gaizki eramaten klinikara edo hola
14- The contractions in the pherisfratic conjugation are much less frequent than in the Northern High Navarrese. But they do exist in the behar and nahi + auxiliary verb:
trenean juan behaut lenbailen tierra hontatik
karretera in behautela hemendik Frantziera
Larogei, lautan hogei, nahuzun klasian.
15- As well as those cited above, which are systemazied many other non-standard verbal flections can be heard. The version in standard clarifies in each case the equivalence. See the samples:
eta bahikorleat kartzen zuzten [=zituzten] Eugire
berriz denuntziek pagatzen zuzten, azienden yabeak
iten zuzten tripotak
hemen gu ixil-ixilik ginauden [=geunden]
Han pasatu ginituen izan zaizken kalamidade handien-handienak
eta astia ginduelaik, [=genuen] pues ala! kuxetara
joaten ginden [=ginen] etxeko azienden lana
nola nindeon [=nengoen] operatuik
eskribitu nindakon [=nion] baetz
16- A recent morphological innovation, but a characteristic of many Basque dialects, is the analogical refection of the relative forms of flexions which finish in -t. The old form is -dan, -dala (dudan, dudala, zaidala, etc.), but the are now generally made duten, dutela, zaitela, etc., remade over dut, zait, etc.:
Ta nik zautu dutena hor, iauen-iauena da
Erran dutena aixtian
erran dizutan bezala
However, the old forms may still be heard, even from the same speaker that will also use the other form:
Ez ez, erran dizuden bezala aixtian
Cf. previous example.
17- The confusion between the verbal paradigms Nor-nork and nor-nori-nork is total (in favor of the second):
biziik ortzi behar digute [=ehortzi behar gaituzte]
Klaro, hemezortzi urtetan eman zieten [=eraman ninduten]
gerra akaatute ere eztakit zenbat urtez iruki zieten han [=eduki ninduten]
ezpadirete sorik gaizki eramaten klinikara edo hola
ta haiek kubritzea gui eaman tziguten
ta nei Donostie destinetu ziaten
NOMINAL
18- In all this zone, unlike the Northern High Navarrese, the -ak is distinguished from the -ek in plural:
eta azienda sartzen zelaik, denuntzietzen zuten goardek
However, confusing cases are very frequent, in part due to linguistic erosion and in part due to the influence of the Northern High Navarrese:
berriz denuntziek pagatzen zuzten azienden yabeak
baztandarrak aprobetxatzen zuten Erdizaga
19- The instrumental is -s (standard -z):
pues iiteas moztu iten zen
hiru hillebetes
Pero es frecuente la vacilación con -z:
dena eskuz in behartzen
Zazpi urtez edo eztakit zenbat urtez egon nitzen ni soldado!
kutxilloai kanibeta deitzen daogu guk euskeraz
Zorriz beteik
20- The normal contraction of the genitive singular is -ain:
Diputazioaindako
Erregenekoaikin, eta Baztangoaikin
21- With numbers it is very common to find the forms with -tan: hirutan hogei, lautan hogei (=hirurogei, laurogei), although the latter is also heard (from reasons of prestige of the standard and the guipuzcoan); the oriental forms bortz and hameka are also used:
Larogei, lautan hogei, nahuzun klasian.
Lauretan hogei ta hameka
Borz pezta egunean
22- The nondik case in the indefinite and in plural is formed by -tarik, just like in the French-Basque dialects:
Hemen, pues, garie, olua, hoetaik
iduri zuen adelanto at haundienetaik zela
orai ya, ezta yausik hoetaik ikusten
hemen ez baitziren ja haetaik
Len hartaik bizi gine
gazteenetaik abiatu zarreneraino
ta trabiesa bakarra ehun kilotaik goiti
23- It is common to find -arendako for -arentzat.
Diputazioaindako
oain itten den gauzendako
24-In words such as artzain, arrain, haurtzain, etc. in all the dialect the forms in -ai predominate (as they do in Northern High Navarrese): artzai, arrai, haurtzai etc:
25- It is almost generalized to keep the final Spanish -on in the loan-words (standard -oi): pantalona, perdigona, kamiona, jipona, botona, xabona.
ta montonka uzten zen
montondu ta han utzi
However, in the older loan-words, or even in some patrimonial word such as saroi ´sheepfold´, the Southern High Navarrese shows its own characteristic result: -io. Compare topography words such as the Pamplona Sario (<saroi). There are no examples in the corpus. .
26- In one area of the dialect (Egüés), the demonstratives show a g- initial, just as in the Salazarese or the Aezkoan (Roncalese k-): gau, gori, gor, etc. However, in the towns where it is still spoken today the forms are the standard hau, hori etc...:
orai ya, ezta yausik hoetaik ikusten
afera hau de
iduritzen zaote gerra hori holako festa bat dela
Ba denbora haetan
PHONETICS
27- The automatic palatalization is voiced with less force than in the Northern High Navarrese. In the historical zone of the dialect it is unknown in Elcano, Puente La Reina and Arce. On the other hand, it is very strong in Olza, Oláibar, Goñi, Juslapeña and Iza.
Within the present boundary of the dialect (Esteribar and Erro) -n- is palatalized after the i semi-vowel: ezpaña, gaña, etc. but not after the i vowel: irine, mutila etc.:
pantano in antzinean
Han pasatu ginituen izan zaizken kalamidade handien-handienak
hilabetero ginduen konpromisua inik
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
But after a semi-vowel:
berriz azaroko kosetxa eraikitzeko denboraraño
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten al gauze horren gañean
orai bizitzen da pusken hobeki orduen beño
ta gero hure karri larrañera
Although at times exceptions to this rule may be heard:
gazteenetaik abiatu zarreneraino
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
Neither the t nor the l receive palatization after i, except in Urritzola:
hemen gu ixil-ixilik ginauden
hamazazpi familie kuxetagileak ginen
Ta hemen sortu te hemen nik uste hemen nik uste hilen naizen ere
Orai e iten dire
pues iiteas moztu iten zen
Han pasatu ginituen izan zaizken kalamidade handien-handienak
Zenbaiti etzaote iduritiko
ta trabiesa bakarra ehun kilotaik goiti
But cf:
oain itten den gauzendako
igual bi hillebetez, geldittu bage
28- Forms such as buruba, mendiya, with a transition sound are unknown while they do exist in areas of the Northern High Navarrese.
29- In Mezkiritz and Usetxi forms of the Aezkoan type with a loss of the -i- between vowels can sporadically be heard. This is common in the demonstratives:
Hoek tire [<hoiek]
Hemen, pues, garie, olua, hoetaik [<hoietarik]
hemen ez baitziren ja haetaik [<haietarik]
Ba denbora haetan [<haietan]
pues denbora haetan jornala [<haietan]
It is also given in other forms:
pues iiteas moztu iten zen [<igiteias]
eskribitu nindakon baetz [<baietz]
But a lot of times in a hesitating form:
ardiek, ta behak, [<behiak] eta hoetaik
But cf. in the same town:
behiak eta bihorrak
Zenbaiti etzaote iduritiko [<zaiote]
iduritzen zaote gerra hori holako festa bat dela ; but cf. in the same town::
brabanian erraten zaion bezala
It does not seem to be used in Eugi.
30- In the declination, ea (etxea) and oa (astoa) often sound ia and ua (especially in the first case; ua for oa is rarer:
ezta xuxenbidia
bat Beltrania, nere etxia Juankonia, bertzia Juantenia
Larrazkenian, larrazkenian, bai. Martxoan ere zerbait eraikitzen zen
Larogei, lautan hogei,nahuzun klasian.
ordu betian iatzarri nitzen
Hemen, pues, garie, olua, hoetaik
hilabetero ginduen konpromisua inik
But the tendency is quite vacillating:
pantano in antzinean
hure azkenean, pean gelditzen zen
gazteago ze
Borz pezta egunean
izen balute permisoa, dretxoa izen bazuten
Larrazkenian, larrazkenian, bai. Martxoan ere zerbait eraikitzen zen
yatekoa bildu
31- These hiatus tend to be pronounced (although not always nor in all parts) monosyllabic (like a diphthong), perhaps as a consequence of the strong intense accent that is used in part of this dialect:
pantano in antzinean
bat Beltrania, nere etxia Juankonia, bertzia Juantenia
32- The vocal harmony is made in the totality of the dialect (dirua>dirue, ogia>ogie). Historically it was only absent in Arce and Egüés. As distinct from the Northern High Navarrese it appears both between morphemes (ogie) as well as in the interior of the morpheme: (uketu, ugeri, iketza etc. It is less intense in Mezkiritz:
afera hau de
eta azienda sartzen zelaik, denuntzietzen zuten goardek
izen balute permisoa, dretxoa izen bazuten
horko antzinderiek ta usetzen zuten
orai bizitzen da pusken hobeki orduen beño
Prezinteturik errotak
egun guzie, famili guzie
33- Traces can be seen of an old vacillation r/d (although nowadays it is not made). Especially in the morpheme of the dative case -da- (didan, zidan, etc):
ezpadirete sorik gaizki eramaten klinikara edo hola
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
frantsak ero [<edo]
gerra akaatute ere eztakit zenbat urtez iruki [<iduki] zieten han
34- It is quite common ( and almost exclusive to the High Navarrese speakers) for the verbs to lose the first vowel (aphaeresis): baki (=ebaki), karri, etc. Sometimes it also occurs with nouns: mazteki (=emazteki):
eta bahikorleat kartzen zuzten Eugire
hori zautu dugu guk
Ta nik zautu dutena hor, iauen-iauena da
’ta akaso bizimodu hobia torriko da
Nik lemixi... zautu nuen lemixiko urtetan
ta gero hure karri larrañera
Maztekiek beti, zegatik maztekie
ene familien eztut zautu, zautu tut bai, bertze familietan
Zein pozik torri nintzen ni
As a consequence of this it is common to find the distinctionman (=eman)/eman (=eraman):
Klaro, hemezortzi urtetan eman [=eraman] zieten
haiziak ematen [=eramaten] zuen
35- A vowel is also sometimes lost within the interior of the word (syncope) but this is a sporadic phenomenon, much rarer than in Northern High Navarrese (link Northern High Navarrese 33):
eta bahikorleat [<bahikorrale] kartzen zuzten Eugire
denen artian harpatzen [<harrapatzen] zute zerrie
36- In words like joan, jarri, jende, etc. the initial sound in this dialect resounds as -y among those dialects which are still in use, except in Urritzola where it is j-:
berriz denuntziek pagatzen zuzten, azienden yabeak
yatekoa bildu
trenean juan behaut lenbailen tierra hontatik
But the more recent loan-words and the typical Navarrese expressive word ja (=nothing, something) is sounded everywhere with a jay (j):
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten al gauze horren gañean
hemen ez baitziren ja haetaik
kasik adjudiketuik Baztandei Erregerena.
And sometimes in traditional terminations j can be heard because of the influence of other dialects and of the standard form:
egun guzien dozena bat jende
pues denbora haetan jornala
joaten ginden etxeko azienden lana
Historically, in this area the pronunciation x- was very common and which, according to data from Irigaray, reached as far as Uharte-Arakil. In Arce both the y- and x- concurred. In Oláibar and Juslapeña only y- was sounded. The x- in Egúés and Olza. There is also evidence in some areas of a pronunciation like the Spanish jay, such as Puente La Reina.
LEXICON
37- The lexicon of the Southern High Navarrese is not especially characteristic. Few words or variants of the corpus are unique to this dialect or even to the Navarrese Basque. Bahikorle (<bahi korrale) ´a pen of confiscated herd´ frantsa ´French´, the forms of iago and iagoen for gehiago and gehien, ja (ere) ´nothing, something´ (also in Northern High Navarrese); aundiz ´a lot´ (also in Northern High Navarrese); ortzi ´to bury´; puskan, puskaz, with comparatives (´a lot more´); eraiki ´to sow´lemixi ´first´, jende as a countable noun (´person´); igo ´to grind´.
eta bahikorleat kartzen zuzten Eugire
frantsak ero
Ta nik zautu dutena hor, iauen-iauena da
nik eztut iago zautu hemen
iaguenik Balentziara
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten al gauze horren gañean
zeatik auto aundiz pasatiko da
aitu behar zen ordu aundiz
biziik ortzi behar digute
orai bizitzen da pusken hobeki orduen beño
Larrazkenian, larrazkenian, bai. Martxoan ere zerbait eraikitzen zen
berriz azaroko kosetxa eraikitzeko denboraraño
Nik lemixi... zautu nuen lemixiko urtetan
egun guzien dozena bat jende
ta etzaike igo
38- If the Navarrese Basque in general and especially this dialect shows a peculiar physiognomy, this is due to the western character (near the French dialects) of the lexicon and variants which are used there: afera ´matter´, iduri izan ´to seem´, antzin (and altzin), gibel ´in front of /behind´, bertze ´another´, antzindari ´authority´/boss´, artio ´until´, larrazken ´autumn´, orai ´now´, erran ´to say´, pean, petik, peko (as an independent element: peko etxea etc..) emazteki ´woman´, hertsi ´to close´, igorri ´ to send´, iratzarri ´to wake up´.
afera hau de
pues haiek iduri dute bautela han dretxoa
iduri zuen adelanto at haundienetaik zela
Eta gero, hordik antzine
Len berze gauze bat zen hemen
ene familien eztut zautu, zautu tut bai, bertze familietan
horko antzinderiek ta usetzen zuten
eztakit noiz artio izain den
Larrazkenian, larrazkenian, bai. Martxoan ere zerbait eraikitzen zen
Orai e iten dire
orai ya, ezta yausik hoetaik ikusten
Erran dutena aixtian
hure azkenean, pean gelditzen zen
Maztekiek beti, zegatik maztekie
errota guziek hertsiik zauden
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
ordu betian iatzarri nitzen
39- The Southern High Navarrese, like all spoken Basque, contains many loan-words of various types:
Moreover, it keeps many loan-words and old tracings which have been eliminated in the written form through a sense of purity: pagatu, ´to pay´, akabatu ´to finish´ eskribitu ´to write´, gainean ´concerning´, etc...
berriz denuntziek pagatzen zuzten, azienden yabeak
ze pagati behar zuten
gerra akaatute ere eztakit zenbat urtez iruki zieten han
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten ahal gauze horren gañean
And moreover it also contains many recent loan-words:
eta azienda sartzen zelaik, denuntzietzen zuten goardek
baztandarrak aprobetxatzen zuten Erdizaga
izen balute permisoa, dretxoa izen bazuten
pues, reparto in, mankomunidan, bien akorduekin
kasik adjudiketuik Baztandei Erregerena.
berriz azaroko kosetxa eraikitzeko denboraraño
karretera in behautela hemendik Frantziera
eta modifikatiko da
Prezinteturik errotak
aunkesea hilebete bat
egun guzian han dalekedale
trenean juan behaut lenbailen tierra hontatik
banakin ze kostunbre zuten goizez...
SINTAXIS
40- It is common to hear forms of the relative (explicative) with the prefix bait-.
41- In this dialect the suffix -larik substitutes -nean in all its functions:
eta azienda sartzen zelaik, denuntzietzen zuten goardek
ni haurre nitzelaik
hure ya xeatzen zelaik
eta astia ginduelaik, pues ala! kuxetara
ni bigarren kaderatik operatu nitzelaik
42- The dependent completives of uste can appear -n, at the least in Mezkiritz (this use is also known in the Baztan and Cinco Villas):
Ta hemen sortu te hemen nik uste hilen naizen ere
43- The causal conjunction zer(en)gatik is common in the whole zone, at times alone and at times combined with the suffix -n in the verbal form:
zengatik orai erretrasatuenak hoik izain zire
Maztekiek beti, zegatik maztekie
zeatik hor intzutelaik hori
zeatik auto aundiz pasatiko da
44- The comparatives can either be formed with the suffix -ago or by adding to this --ko:-agokoa (although it is not wholly adnominal).
45- A very eastern characteristic of these dialects is the use of -raino with a temporary value, unknown in the western dialects:
berriz azaroko kosetxa eraikitzeko denboraraño
46- The use of the periphrasis -ten ahal for the potentials is usual, even in negative sentences:
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten ahal gauze horren gañean
47- In the Southern High Navarrese free uses of the indefinite may be heard (mugababe) which are rare in the other peninsular dialects:
Lenago Eugiko herrie ederrago zen... Gauze ederrago zen Eugiko herria
gazteago ze
At present it is the most extensively spoken dialect in Navarre, although historically the Southern High Navarrese was the most extended.
Some 35,000 people speak this dialect in Navarra, in the localities of Arakil, Barranca (from Arbizu onwards), Larraun, Araitz, Cinco Villas, Imotz, Basaburua, Arano-Goizueta, Leitzaran, Ultzama, Anue, Malerreka, Bertizarana. Outside the province of Navarre this dialect is also spoken in Irun, Oiartzun and Hondarrabia.
In the greater part of its territory (except in Arakil, and at a low intensity in Ultzama) a natural transmission of this language continues to take place to a greater or lesser degree.
The dialect is not wholly homogeneous, some forms of the language are distinct from other areas. Thus, for example, the Barranca, quite a peculiar variety, is close to the Guipuzcoan of Navarre.
Its written form has been practically null, save for some poor quality religious writings. Some wills also exist from earlier ages, but their number cannot be compared with other dialects. Not even with the neighboring Southern High Navarrese. Meanwhile, its slight differences from the Guipuzcoan dialect has prompted the speakers to use this variety, at least on those more formal occasions (e.g. at public poetry recitations).
Beyond the common traits of spoken Basque the Northern High Navarrese is distinct from the standard form in the following characteristics
:
Morphology (verbal, nominal)/Phonetics/Lexicon/Syntax
MORPHOLOGY
Verbal
1-In most part of this zone , -a appears in the past tense of the strong verbs (synthetical): nakien, nauken, zakien, zagoen, zabilen... etc, (standard neukan, zebilen... etc.):
nik berandu artio ez nakin euskeras hitzik ere
kontestatu behar tzuten altxatuta zaudenak
ya beandu xamar zela baña ya bazkaltzeko zauken zerbait
However, the -e also exists within some areas of the dialect: in Leitza, Arano and Larraun (here it alternates with -a-):
Moxkortute hola bueltaka emen zebiltzen herriin
Hori enekin nik
dena preparatuba zeon
Also in the Barranca, forms such as zoken presuppose za-:
horrek ez zuken holako meritu haundirik, ezkil horrek etzoken
2-The nitzen form, without -n (standard nintzen) is a characteristic of the all the Navarrese - Basque speaking dialects:
ibiltzen nitzen herritan kartak partitzen
ta harrekin batian joan nitzen ni re
hasi nitzen Zentralian
hamabi urte nitulaiken joan nitzen artzai koxkorra
3-In the forms of the Nor-Nori- Nork, the pluralizing is -it-, like in the Nor-Nork (ditio..etc). This is a trait which is exclusive to this dialect (not found in any other, except for the Baztanese):
Orain jartzen ttiote
asko gauze nik ezautzen eznituenak ematen zitireten
However, in certain areas forms with -zki- appear, such as in Arano (in Leitza, of the dazkit type):
ta denak paatzen zizkiuten
4-In a part of the zone the use of due etc., for dute etc. At least in the area comprising Leitzaran, Barranca, Araitz, Larraun (here dui) and a part of Basaburua Menor:
baina soñuba denak diferentea due
billatu behar zuin makille eoke xamarra
horrek eakutsi ta dantzatzen zuin...
dena goittik bera bota zuen ta etzuen deusee bilatu
edan eitten due
5-Duzie (Larraun duzi) for duzue can be heard around the Ultzama and Larraun:
Badakizie holako kantue kantatzen?
6-In verbs which finish in -n (edan, egon, izan etc), the future form is generally in -en:
Eztittue bueltatu izanen
Yoanen zela gure etxera ta gurekin hitzegiñen zula
In many towns this final -anen, -onen is pronounced -ain, -oin:
dirua ere ezuten sobrante izain seguru aski ta
eta main dizut pasea
baño nik uste ot hemen eitten zenen inguruko herritan e eitten izain zela
The Guipuzcoan form -ngo is heard rarely in Larraun, Areso, Arano and Araitz.
7-Instead of diet, diezu, zien, zaie, etc. forms of the type diotet (=diet), zioten (=zien), zaiote (=zaie) are quite general in this zone, that is to say -ote instead of -e-:
haiei jokatuko ziotela horrek
ta esaten nioten soldadu hoiei:
In the areas where due(=dute) is used, they also say dioe (Leitza dioa) (=die), that is to say, -oe- (-oa-) for -e-:
Etxe guzie nastu in zioan
ezkaatzen esan giñioan
hark esan zioan etzula uste
8-In certain verbs with -n in almost all areas of this dialect the verbal noun is formed in -iten (generally pronounced -tten), like the French-Basque speakers: izatten, ematten, egotten, eramatten:
etzen goatzerik izatten
bertze jende turista erraiten ten horiek ere
Bai, izaiten da bizkorki
However, in Larraun, Araitz, Barranca and Ultzama we have -ten, and sporadically also in other parts, from the prestige of the standard form:
izate a tu-tut
9-For the past form of the Nor-Nori (zitzaion etc.) the root is -KI instead of -TZA in a part of the zone (Ultzama, Imotz and The Barranca) so zekion/zakion instead of zitzaion. In the Barranca this root is also used in the present tense: dakio etc. for zaio etc.:
asko gustetzen dakit
10-The verbal flexions, within their variety, share one main characteristic in general: the hiatus (zegoen, zuen, nekien, genuen, duela, dagoela... etc), are reduced to their first vowel (zegon, zun, nun, nekin, genun, dula, dagola... etc). This does not happen in the Barranca and Ultzama:
han izandu genitun atake goorrak
ne atte zenak eukitzen emen zun hoi prestatota gordii
nik berandu artio ez nakin euskeras hitzik ere
eta hori in ta ya beste zortzien bat urtes harrekin lan in nun
behiei kausitten ta pasatzen nun bizie
hamabi urte nitulaiken joan nitzen artzai koxkorra
gaizki pasatu giñun batzutan
But cf.:
nik dena itten nuen, goizien ta asaldien ta gaubien ta denetan
zer atra behar zuen esan zireten komedorian
11- As well as the earlier traits, which are systemized, it should be pointed out that in this dialect many non-standard verbal flexions may be heard. The version in unified Basque clarifies the equivalence in each case:
Geo eaman giñuzen (gintuzten) Oviedo bertaa
Pues, maiz zeatzen tzittuten, (zituzten) prestatzen tzittuten
sartu eztaizkenak (daitezke) ez biño betire erdi erdera ta...
ta joan ginen harea t´ezkiñuzen (genituen) saldu
oain makinak eta badere (dira)
Bai nik e estudioik eztoket (daukat)
batien santuba sartu zubela errekaa sekoa ziolakos (zihoan)
ondo aittu yaiz (haiz) edo geizki aittu yaiz
ta gero artzai nindabillela (nenbilen)
12- In the periphrastic conjugation all types of verbal contractions may be heard, although the corpus is not sufficient to systematize and define the zones. The contractions of behar + transitive auxiliary are very characteristic in this dialect.
in beadiau horno at hor Zizurren, eta: nauk sozio?
bakarriken goaiñ oso diferente eitteunte lana
oain ya ortziralian lan in ta utzitzeunte
zuk oso ongi errezatzauzule arrosarioa
orain in behauzu
In behaizut pase bat Donostire joateko hillebete bateko
hitz in biait
13-There is a general tendency (non-distinctive) in the Navarre language to confuse the verbal paradigms nor-nork and nor nori-nork (generally in favor of the second). What is distinctive (it establishes an isogloss ) is the degree to which the tendency has been completed: total confusion characterizes the Southern High Navarrese. But in other speech-areas it also occurs (Ultzama) and as a tendency it is widespread: Ituren, Barranca:
ta honek emain dizu Donostira
kanpeonato askota eramaten tzieten
However, the difference is not lost everywhere:
Geo eaman giñuzen Oviedo bertaa
ta denak paatzen zizkiuten
14- However, the difference is not lost everywhere:
ni naiz Miel, nausi o itten dutena
Inversely, in some areas (at least in the Ultzama), the forms connected in -da- have reproduced a free analogical form in -da: zaida, zaira, dida, (and by way of harmonious vocalization zaide, zaire, etc. (although never with the forms such as dut, dakit, etc.)
naho nuen man balire komendante horretxek itxera joateko
15- The casual suffix -lako has the variant of lako(t)z (and -lakos), as in the continental dialects:
batien santuba sartu zubela errekaa sekoa ziolakos
...txarrak! urte txarrak dire, eztelakoz
NOMINAL
16- All over this zone the -ak is not distinguished from -ek in plural:
baina soñuba denak diferentea due
usazaliak iten zte oihu batzuk
ta urdun kontestatu behar tzuten altxatuta zaudenak
17-The instrumental is -es over a large part of the zone (standard Basque: -z) just like in the Southern High Navarrese. Especially in the Barranca, where it is unique, but in other spoken areas (Basaburua, Ultzama, Larraun, Imotz), here in concurrence with -z:
ta gero bi urtes o in zen holako esibizio at
nik berandu artio ez nakin euskeras hitzik ere
Zer modues habille amigo Arroki
pues oñes ikasi orduko
18-The phonetic augmentatives in z- are typical of the Navarrese dialects: zuleta, zapela, etc. They also exist in other dialects, but here they are the normal:
zuleta bat zartai betekoa
19-In the numbers the forms with -tan are very common: hirutan hogei, lautan hogei (=hirurogei, laurogei), Although, these last ones can also be heard (for reasons of prestige of the Guipuzcoan and the standard form):
Nik lauetan hoite zazpi urte konplittu dittut
20-The nondik case in the indefinite and the plural forms is made in -tarik in the Ultzama, just as in the Southern High Navarrese.
21-In the Ultzama it is very common to use -arendako for -arentzat:
Zer egunek pasti ihaittuzun! Dena zuretako dao.
22-In words such as artzain, arrain, haurtzain, etc, in all the dialect the forms in -ai predominate: artzai, arrai, haurtzai etc:
hamabi urte nitulaiken joan nitzen artzai koxkorra
ta gero artzai nindabillela
23-It is quite general to keep the final Spanish -ón in the loan words (in standard Basque -oi): pantalona, perdigona, kamiona, jipona, botona, xabona. (although this is not the case with the older loan words: arratoi is general):
Ta kamionak kargatu
Eta, batallonian, batallona da...
A peculiarity of Leitza is the adaptation of -obe as this termination:
¡Viva, viva!, balkobetik fuerte esanez
24-In the demonstratives there exist many non-standard forms. It is particularly common to find the form harr- of the third person singular demonstrative:
ta harrekin batian joan nitzen ni re
ta harrentzat ematen giñun indarra
eta hori in ta ya beste zortzien bat urtes harrekin lan in nun
Eta bazen ordun harren... Kapitana Rufino zuen
Es normalísimo Hok por hauek, declinado hoketan, hoketara, etc.
nik hemen herri ttiki hoketaa, Zarranzaa ta holako... Goldaaza eta hoketaa
In Etxalar hek exists for haiek:
hek ikusi balimazte usua nola sartzen den
hekin jetxiazi al den guziya
PHONETICS
25-The automatic palatalization after -i is general and stronger than in other zones (it affects, for example, the auxiliary verb: ttuzu, ttugu etc). This does not happen in Etxalar, where there is no palatalization:
Zer egunek pasti ihaittuzun! Dena zuretako dao.
Tierra honetan egitten dittik bero ikaragarriek
But cf.:
ta azpiyan harrautzen tu.
26-On the western side of this dialect (Leitza, Goizueta, Malerreka, Bertizarana, Basaburua, Araitz, Larraun, Imotz) there is a tendency to open, above all, the u, but also the i: dot, dozo, dakizo, are typical flexions from Leitza, for example. Also many speakers pronounce -to in the participles in -tu (galdeto, harrapato):
ta geo sekatota de, euki...
hainbeste esker irui do etzaiola ematen
ne atte zenak eukitzen emen zun hoi prestatota gordii
Much less common is the e for i, although it does occur, especially in Larraun and in a part of Basaburua Menor: nek (nik), -tek (tik), -eken (-ekin), ekarre, eose (egosi) etc.:
nik oso gutxi besteik eztaket
hola galdezkan etorre zen batentzat
billatu behar zuin makille eoke xamarra
27-In the declination between the i and the article, a transition sound is built up as happens in a large part of Guipuzcoa: mendiya, ttikiya, herriya. This phenomenon occurs in Arano (but not in Goizueta), Cinco Villas, the north of Malerreka and the Barranca:
Gu, mutiko txikiyak giñala
ta azpiyan harrautzen tu.
eta orduan die batzuk han
High Navarrese
(Southern H.Navarrese) (Nothern H. Navarrese)
Historically this has been the most extended Basque dialogue, the most widely spoken and the most characteristic of Navarre. At the time of its widest historical extension it covered an area from the valleys immediately to the north of Pamplona to the most extended historical line of the Basque language in Navarre. That is to say, the line marked by Val de Lana, Valdega, La Solana, Oteiza, Villatuerta, Cirauqui, Mañeru, Puente La Reina, Valdizarbe, Artajona, Pueyo, Valdorba, Lerga, Ujué, Gallipienzo, Sada, Leache, Lumbier, Urraúl, Salazar, Roncal (all these cited towns being historically Basque speaking places). Westwards, Val de Lana and Améscoa, judging from their common place-names, undoubtedly belonged to another dialectical zone, more westerly and probably close to the extinct Basque once spoken in Álava, and the Basque spoken today in the Burunda area. Eastwardly, the valleys belonging to the Pyrennes (Salazar, Aezkoa, Roncal) come under a different dialect, but not the pre-Pyrenean area (Erro, Lintzoain, Arce) which did use this dialect. This was also the variety of Basque to be found in Pamplona.
At present speakers of this variant are to be found in the valleys of Erro and Esteribar (in total less than 500) but, except for some exceptional case, there is no natural transmission of the language now taking place.
Its historical importance cannot be underestimated. In this variety there exists written material which is linguistically very important; for example, what was probably the very first book printed in Basque; The Christian doctrine of Sancho de Elso, (there are no existing copies). El tratado de Oír Misa (The practice of attending mass) (1621) from Juan de Beriain who, as he himself puts it "is written in the form of speaking of Pamplona, the capitol of this kingdom, which is the most commonly spoken and is understood every where". And above all, the enormous pious homily from Joaquín de Lizarraga, who was parish priest in his hometown of Elcano (Egües), which is a key work in order to understand the varieties of Basque within the district of Pamplona and which are now extinct.
There also exists a large amount of written homilies without literary value but which are linguistically important, which come from all over the historical zone of this dialect.
Beyond the general characteristics of spoken Basque, the southern High Navarrese varies from the standard form in the following characteristics:
:
Morphology (verbal,nominal)/Phonetics/Lexicon/Syntax
MORPHOLOGY
Verbal
1- The main characteristic of the dialect, which reappears in some parts of Biscaya, is the lack of -n in the past form of the verbs: nue, ze, zio, etc.. This trait was common to the whole dialect, and even today it can be heard in Esteribar and Erro, but always in line with the forms with -n. In Eugi only -n exists:
zengatik orai erretrasatuenak hoik izain zire
denen artian harpatzen zute zerrie
ta etzaike igo
Len hartaik bizi gine
gazteago ze
But cf. also:
dena eskuz in behartzen
iduri zuen adelanto at haundienetaik zela
joaten ginden etxeko azienden lana
2- In the greater part of the zone -a- appears in the past form of the strong verbs (syntetical): nakien, nauken, zakien, zagoen, zabilen... etc, (standard neukan, zebilen... etc.):
banakin ze kostunbre zuten goizez...
errota guziek hertsiik zauden
Ta ahizpe bat Albisun zauken
ta aitte ta ama hil tzaizkion
ta etzaike igo
ta haizea baldin bazabillen
apainduik ya zauken
3- The apheresis of the transitive auxiliary is very common in the present tense: tut, tuzu, etc, for ditut, dituzu, etc:
ene familien eztut zautu, zautu tut bai, bertze familietan
4- Instead of diet, diezu, zien, zaie, etc. it is very general to find forms in this zone of the type diotet (=diet), zioten (=zien), zaiote (=zaie) that is to say -ote- instead of -e-:
Zenbaiti etzaote [=zaie] iduritiko
iduritzen zaote [=zaie] gerra hori holako festa bat dela
semeei frankotan erraten dakotet [=diet]
5-In the northern zone of this dialect (Mezkiritz), forms of the nor-nori-nork are in use of the Low Navarrese kind such as dakot, zakoten, etc, for diot, zioten etc:
semeei frankotan erraten dakotet
eskribitu nindakon baetz
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
Sometimes the forms in -ako- and in -io- would seem to have crossed :
kutxilloai kanibeta deitzen daogu guk euskeraz
6- The intransitive potentials en -ke: daike, zaiken etc. (standard daiteke, zitekeen) are characteristics of this dialogue (although they also exist at least in the Ultzama and Basaburua areas):
ta etzaike igo
Han pasatu ginituen izan zaizken kalamidade handien-handienak
7- For the past of the Nor-Nori (standard zitzaion etc.), the root is -KI- instead of -TZA-: zekion/zakion instead of zitzaion:
ta aitte ta ama hil tzaizkion
8- The second person of the plural of the present tense of the nor-nork is in -zie (standard: -zue) as in the Ultzama and part of the Southern High Navarrese:
Eztakizie! Hobe duzie
etzaizie iruditzen
9- The form nitzen, without -n- (standard: nintzen) is a characteristic of all the Basque-speaking areas of Navarre (standard nintzen):
ni haurre nitzelaik
Zazpi urtez edo eztakit zenbat urtez egon nitzen ni soldado!
ni bigarren kaderatik operatu nitzelaik
ordu betian iatzarri nitzen
10- The future form of verbs finishing in -n (edan, egon, izan etc), is usually in -en. The pronunciation is habitually -ain:
zer errain dizut
eztakit noiz artio izain den
zengatik orai erretrasatuenak hoik izain zire
However, historically there have been attestations of futures in this dialect en -nko (janko, joanko), for example for Puente la Reina.
11- The participles in -tu (galdetu, barkatu, etc) hacen el futuro en -tiko, make the future in -tiko, as in Aezkoan: galdetiko, barkatiko, and when linking to behar: galdeti ihar dut (=galdetu behar dut):
ze pagati behar zuten
Orai, zer pasatiko den
zeatik auto aundiz pasatiko da
eta modifikatiko da
Zenbaiti etzaote iduritiko
Pero cf. en Usetxi:
aitu behar zen ordu aundiz
12- In this dialect the form in -rik of the verbal participle is in common use, something very rare and unusual in the Northern High Navarrese (except in the Barranca, where it is normal):
errota guziek hertsiik zauden
Prezinteturik errotak
kasik adjudiketuik Baztandei Erregerena.
nola nindeon operatuik
hilabetero ginduen konpromisua inik
apainduik ya zauken
13- This dialect does not recognize the verbal nouns in -iten (emaiten, arraiten) which are characteristic of the Northern High Navarrese and the French-Basque dialects:
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten al gauze horren gañean
haiziak ematen zuen
ezpadirete sorik gaizki eramaten klinikara edo hola
14- The contractions in the pherisfratic conjugation are much less frequent than in the Northern High Navarrese. But they do exist in the behar and nahi + auxiliary verb:
trenean juan behaut lenbailen tierra hontatik
karretera in behautela hemendik Frantziera
Larogei, lautan hogei, nahuzun klasian.
15- As well as those cited above, which are systemazied many other non-standard verbal flections can be heard. The version in standard clarifies in each case the equivalence. See the samples:
eta bahikorleat kartzen zuzten [=zituzten] Eugire
berriz denuntziek pagatzen zuzten, azienden yabeak
iten zuzten tripotak
hemen gu ixil-ixilik ginauden [=geunden]
Han pasatu ginituen izan zaizken kalamidade handien-handienak
eta astia ginduelaik, [=genuen] pues ala! kuxetara
joaten ginden [=ginen] etxeko azienden lana
nola nindeon [=nengoen] operatuik
eskribitu nindakon [=nion] baetz
16- A recent morphological innovation, but a characteristic of many Basque dialects, is the analogical refection of the relative forms of flexions which finish in -t. The old form is -dan, -dala (dudan, dudala, zaidala, etc.), but the are now generally made duten, dutela, zaitela, etc., remade over dut, zait, etc.:
Ta nik zautu dutena hor, iauen-iauena da
Erran dutena aixtian
erran dizutan bezala
However, the old forms may still be heard, even from the same speaker that will also use the other form:
Ez ez, erran dizuden bezala aixtian
Cf. previous example.
17- The confusion between the verbal paradigms Nor-nork and nor-nori-nork is total (in favor of the second):
biziik ortzi behar digute [=ehortzi behar gaituzte]
Klaro, hemezortzi urtetan eman zieten [=eraman ninduten]
gerra akaatute ere eztakit zenbat urtez iruki zieten han [=eduki ninduten]
ezpadirete sorik gaizki eramaten klinikara edo hola
ta haiek kubritzea gui eaman tziguten
ta nei Donostie destinetu ziaten
NOMINAL
18- In all this zone, unlike the Northern High Navarrese, the -ak is distinguished from the -ek in plural:
eta azienda sartzen zelaik, denuntzietzen zuten goardek
However, confusing cases are very frequent, in part due to linguistic erosion and in part due to the influence of the Northern High Navarrese:
berriz denuntziek pagatzen zuzten azienden yabeak
baztandarrak aprobetxatzen zuten Erdizaga
19- The instrumental is -s (standard -z):
pues iiteas moztu iten zen
hiru hillebetes
Pero es frecuente la vacilación con -z:
dena eskuz in behartzen
Zazpi urtez edo eztakit zenbat urtez egon nitzen ni soldado!
kutxilloai kanibeta deitzen daogu guk euskeraz
Zorriz beteik
20- The normal contraction of the genitive singular is -ain:
Diputazioaindako
Erregenekoaikin, eta Baztangoaikin
21- With numbers it is very common to find the forms with -tan: hirutan hogei, lautan hogei (=hirurogei, laurogei), although the latter is also heard (from reasons of prestige of the standard and the guipuzcoan); the oriental forms bortz and hameka are also used:
Larogei, lautan hogei, nahuzun klasian.
Lauretan hogei ta hameka
Borz pezta egunean
22- The nondik case in the indefinite and in plural is formed by -tarik, just like in the French-Basque dialects:
Hemen, pues, garie, olua, hoetaik
iduri zuen adelanto at haundienetaik zela
orai ya, ezta yausik hoetaik ikusten
hemen ez baitziren ja haetaik
Len hartaik bizi gine
gazteenetaik abiatu zarreneraino
ta trabiesa bakarra ehun kilotaik goiti
23- It is common to find -arendako for -arentzat.
Diputazioaindako
oain itten den gauzendako
24-In words such as artzain, arrain, haurtzain, etc. in all the dialect the forms in -ai predominate (as they do in Northern High Navarrese): artzai, arrai, haurtzai etc:
25- It is almost generalized to keep the final Spanish -on in the loan-words (standard -oi): pantalona, perdigona, kamiona, jipona, botona, xabona.
ta montonka uzten zen
montondu ta han utzi
However, in the older loan-words, or even in some patrimonial word such as saroi ´sheepfold´, the Southern High Navarrese shows its own characteristic result: -io. Compare topography words such as the Pamplona Sario (<saroi). There are no examples in the corpus. .
26- In one area of the dialect (Egüés), the demonstratives show a g- initial, just as in the Salazarese or the Aezkoan (Roncalese k-): gau, gori, gor, etc. However, in the towns where it is still spoken today the forms are the standard hau, hori etc...:
orai ya, ezta yausik hoetaik ikusten
afera hau de
iduritzen zaote gerra hori holako festa bat dela
Ba denbora haetan
PHONETICS
27- The automatic palatalization is voiced with less force than in the Northern High Navarrese. In the historical zone of the dialect it is unknown in Elcano, Puente La Reina and Arce. On the other hand, it is very strong in Olza, Oláibar, Goñi, Juslapeña and Iza.
Within the present boundary of the dialect (Esteribar and Erro) -n- is palatalized after the i semi-vowel: ezpaña, gaña, etc. but not after the i vowel: irine, mutila etc.:
pantano in antzinean
Han pasatu ginituen izan zaizken kalamidade handien-handienak
hilabetero ginduen konpromisua inik
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
But after a semi-vowel:
berriz azaroko kosetxa eraikitzeko denboraraño
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten al gauze horren gañean
orai bizitzen da pusken hobeki orduen beño
ta gero hure karri larrañera
Although at times exceptions to this rule may be heard:
gazteenetaik abiatu zarreneraino
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
Neither the t nor the l receive palatization after i, except in Urritzola:
hemen gu ixil-ixilik ginauden
hamazazpi familie kuxetagileak ginen
Ta hemen sortu te hemen nik uste hemen nik uste hilen naizen ere
Orai e iten dire
pues iiteas moztu iten zen
Han pasatu ginituen izan zaizken kalamidade handien-handienak
Zenbaiti etzaote iduritiko
ta trabiesa bakarra ehun kilotaik goiti
But cf:
oain itten den gauzendako
igual bi hillebetez, geldittu bage
28- Forms such as buruba, mendiya, with a transition sound are unknown while they do exist in areas of the Northern High Navarrese.
29- In Mezkiritz and Usetxi forms of the Aezkoan type with a loss of the -i- between vowels can sporadically be heard. This is common in the demonstratives:
Hoek tire [<hoiek]
Hemen, pues, garie, olua, hoetaik [<hoietarik]
hemen ez baitziren ja haetaik [<haietarik]
Ba denbora haetan [<haietan]
pues denbora haetan jornala [<haietan]
It is also given in other forms:
pues iiteas moztu iten zen [<igiteias]
eskribitu nindakon baetz [<baietz]
But a lot of times in a hesitating form:
ardiek, ta behak, [<behiak] eta hoetaik
But cf. in the same town:
behiak eta bihorrak
Zenbaiti etzaote iduritiko [<zaiote]
iduritzen zaote gerra hori holako festa bat dela ; but cf. in the same town::
brabanian erraten zaion bezala
It does not seem to be used in Eugi.
30- In the declination, ea (etxea) and oa (astoa) often sound ia and ua (especially in the first case; ua for oa is rarer:
ezta xuxenbidia
bat Beltrania, nere etxia Juankonia, bertzia Juantenia
Larrazkenian, larrazkenian, bai. Martxoan ere zerbait eraikitzen zen
Larogei, lautan hogei,nahuzun klasian.
ordu betian iatzarri nitzen
Hemen, pues, garie, olua, hoetaik
hilabetero ginduen konpromisua inik
But the tendency is quite vacillating:
pantano in antzinean
hure azkenean, pean gelditzen zen
gazteago ze
Borz pezta egunean
izen balute permisoa, dretxoa izen bazuten
Larrazkenian, larrazkenian, bai. Martxoan ere zerbait eraikitzen zen
yatekoa bildu
31- These hiatus tend to be pronounced (although not always nor in all parts) monosyllabic (like a diphthong), perhaps as a consequence of the strong intense accent that is used in part of this dialect:
pantano in antzinean
bat Beltrania, nere etxia Juankonia, bertzia Juantenia
32- The vocal harmony is made in the totality of the dialect (dirua>dirue, ogia>ogie). Historically it was only absent in Arce and Egüés. As distinct from the Northern High Navarrese it appears both between morphemes (ogie) as well as in the interior of the morpheme: (uketu, ugeri, iketza etc. It is less intense in Mezkiritz:
afera hau de
eta azienda sartzen zelaik, denuntzietzen zuten goardek
izen balute permisoa, dretxoa izen bazuten
horko antzinderiek ta usetzen zuten
orai bizitzen da pusken hobeki orduen beño
Prezinteturik errotak
egun guzie, famili guzie
33- Traces can be seen of an old vacillation r/d (although nowadays it is not made). Especially in the morpheme of the dative case -da- (didan, zidan, etc):
ezpadirete sorik gaizki eramaten klinikara edo hola
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
frantsak ero [<edo]
gerra akaatute ere eztakit zenbat urtez iruki [<iduki] zieten han
34- It is quite common ( and almost exclusive to the High Navarrese speakers) for the verbs to lose the first vowel (aphaeresis): baki (=ebaki), karri, etc. Sometimes it also occurs with nouns: mazteki (=emazteki):
eta bahikorleat kartzen zuzten Eugire
hori zautu dugu guk
Ta nik zautu dutena hor, iauen-iauena da
’ta akaso bizimodu hobia torriko da
Nik lemixi... zautu nuen lemixiko urtetan
ta gero hure karri larrañera
Maztekiek beti, zegatik maztekie
ene familien eztut zautu, zautu tut bai, bertze familietan
Zein pozik torri nintzen ni
As a consequence of this it is common to find the distinctionman (=eman)/eman (=eraman):
Klaro, hemezortzi urtetan eman [=eraman] zieten
haiziak ematen [=eramaten] zuen
35- A vowel is also sometimes lost within the interior of the word (syncope) but this is a sporadic phenomenon, much rarer than in Northern High Navarrese (link Northern High Navarrese 33):
eta bahikorleat [<bahikorrale] kartzen zuzten Eugire
denen artian harpatzen [<harrapatzen] zute zerrie
36- In words like joan, jarri, jende, etc. the initial sound in this dialect resounds as -y among those dialects which are still in use, except in Urritzola where it is j-:
berriz denuntziek pagatzen zuzten, azienden yabeak
yatekoa bildu
trenean juan behaut lenbailen tierra hontatik
But the more recent loan-words and the typical Navarrese expressive word ja (=nothing, something) is sounded everywhere with a jay (j):
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten al gauze horren gañean
hemen ez baitziren ja haetaik
kasik adjudiketuik Baztandei Erregerena.
And sometimes in traditional terminations j can be heard because of the influence of other dialects and of the standard form:
egun guzien dozena bat jende
pues denbora haetan jornala
joaten ginden etxeko azienden lana
Historically, in this area the pronunciation x- was very common and which, according to data from Irigaray, reached as far as Uharte-Arakil. In Arce both the y- and x- concurred. In Oláibar and Juslapeña only y- was sounded. The x- in Egúés and Olza. There is also evidence in some areas of a pronunciation like the Spanish jay, such as Puente La Reina.
LEXICON
37- The lexicon of the Southern High Navarrese is not especially characteristic. Few words or variants of the corpus are unique to this dialect or even to the Navarrese Basque. Bahikorle (<bahi korrale) ´a pen of confiscated herd´ frantsa ´French´, the forms of iago and iagoen for gehiago and gehien, ja (ere) ´nothing, something´ (also in Northern High Navarrese); aundiz ´a lot´ (also in Northern High Navarrese); ortzi ´to bury´; puskan, puskaz, with comparatives (´a lot more´); eraiki ´to sow´lemixi ´first´, jende as a countable noun (´person´); igo ´to grind´.
eta bahikorleat kartzen zuzten Eugire
frantsak ero
Ta nik zautu dutena hor, iauen-iauena da
nik eztut iago zautu hemen
iaguenik Balentziara
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten al gauze horren gañean
zeatik auto aundiz pasatiko da
aitu behar zen ordu aundiz
biziik ortzi behar digute
orai bizitzen da pusken hobeki orduen beño
Larrazkenian, larrazkenian, bai. Martxoan ere zerbait eraikitzen zen
berriz azaroko kosetxa eraikitzeko denboraraño
Nik lemixi... zautu nuen lemixiko urtetan
egun guzien dozena bat jende
ta etzaike igo
38- If the Navarrese Basque in general and especially this dialect shows a peculiar physiognomy, this is due to the western character (near the French dialects) of the lexicon and variants which are used there: afera ´matter´, iduri izan ´to seem´, antzin (and altzin), gibel ´in front of /behind´, bertze ´another´, antzindari ´authority´/boss´, artio ´until´, larrazken ´autumn´, orai ´now´, erran ´to say´, pean, petik, peko (as an independent element: peko etxea etc..) emazteki ´woman´, hertsi ´to close´, igorri ´ to send´, iratzarri ´to wake up´.
afera hau de
pues haiek iduri dute bautela han dretxoa
iduri zuen adelanto at haundienetaik zela
Eta gero, hordik antzine
Len berze gauze bat zen hemen
ene familien eztut zautu, zautu tut bai, bertze familietan
horko antzinderiek ta usetzen zuten
eztakit noiz artio izain den
Larrazkenian, larrazkenian, bai. Martxoan ere zerbait eraikitzen zen
Orai e iten dire
orai ya, ezta yausik hoetaik ikusten
Erran dutena aixtian
hure azkenean, pean gelditzen zen
Maztekiek beti, zegatik maztekie
errota guziek hertsiik zauden
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
ordu betian iatzarri nitzen
39- The Southern High Navarrese, like all spoken Basque, contains many loan-words of various types:
Moreover, it keeps many loan-words and old tracings which have been eliminated in the written form through a sense of purity: pagatu, ´to pay´, akabatu ´to finish´ eskribitu ´to write´, gainean ´concerning´, etc...
berriz denuntziek pagatzen zuzten, azienden yabeak
ze pagati behar zuten
gerra akaatute ere eztakit zenbat urtez iruki zieten han
oaiñik eskribitzen ziren neri iortzen giñekonak
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten ahal gauze horren gañean
And moreover it also contains many recent loan-words:
eta azienda sartzen zelaik, denuntzietzen zuten goardek
baztandarrak aprobetxatzen zuten Erdizaga
izen balute permisoa, dretxoa izen bazuten
pues, reparto in, mankomunidan, bien akorduekin
kasik adjudiketuik Baztandei Erregerena.
berriz azaroko kosetxa eraikitzeko denboraraño
karretera in behautela hemendik Frantziera
eta modifikatiko da
Prezinteturik errotak
aunkesea hilebete bat
egun guzian han dalekedale
trenean juan behaut lenbailen tierra hontatik
banakin ze kostunbre zuten goizez...
SINTAXIS
40- It is common to hear forms of the relative (explicative) with the prefix bait-.
41- In this dialect the suffix -larik substitutes -nean in all its functions:
eta azienda sartzen zelaik, denuntzietzen zuten goardek
ni haurre nitzelaik
hure ya xeatzen zelaik
eta astia ginduelaik, pues ala! kuxetara
ni bigarren kaderatik operatu nitzelaik
42- The dependent completives of uste can appear -n, at the least in Mezkiritz (this use is also known in the Baztan and Cinco Villas):
Ta hemen sortu te hemen nik uste hilen naizen ere
43- The causal conjunction zer(en)gatik is common in the whole zone, at times alone and at times combined with the suffix -n in the verbal form:
zengatik orai erretrasatuenak hoik izain zire
Maztekiek beti, zegatik maztekie
zeatik hor intzutelaik hori
zeatik auto aundiz pasatiko da
44- The comparatives can either be formed with the suffix -ago or by adding to this --ko:-agokoa (although it is not wholly adnominal).
45- A very eastern characteristic of these dialects is the use of -raino with a temporary value, unknown in the western dialects:
berriz azaroko kosetxa eraikitzeko denboraraño
46- The use of the periphrasis -ten ahal for the potentials is usual, even in negative sentences:
Orai guk eztugu ja ere erraten ahal gauze horren gañean
47- In the Southern High Navarrese free uses of the indefinite may be heard (mugababe) which are rare in the other peninsular dialects:
Lenago Eugiko herrie ederrago zen... Gauze ederrago zen Eugiko herria
gazteago ze
At present it is the most extensively spoken dialect in Navarre, although historically the Southern High Navarrese was the most extended.
Some 35,000 people speak this dialect in Navarra, in the localities of Arakil, Barranca (from Arbizu onwards), Larraun, Araitz, Cinco Villas, Imotz, Basaburua, Arano-Goizueta, Leitzaran, Ultzama, Anue, Malerreka, Bertizarana. Outside the province of Navarre this dialect is also spoken in Irun, Oiartzun and Hondarrabia.
In the greater part of its territory (except in Arakil, and at a low intensity in Ultzama) a natural transmission of this language continues to take place to a greater or lesser degree.
The dialect is not wholly homogeneous, some forms of the language are distinct from other areas. Thus, for example, the Barranca, quite a peculiar variety, is close to the Guipuzcoan of Navarre.
Its written form has been practically null, save for some poor quality religious writings. Some wills also exist from earlier ages, but their number cannot be compared with other dialects. Not even with the neighboring Southern High Navarrese. Meanwhile, its slight differences from the Guipuzcoan dialect has prompted the speakers to use this variety, at least on those more formal occasions (e.g. at public poetry recitations).
Beyond the common traits of spoken Basque the Northern High Navarrese is distinct from the standard form in the following characteristics
:
Morphology (verbal, nominal)/Phonetics/Lexicon/Syntax
MORPHOLOGY
Verbal
1-In most part of this zone , -a appears in the past tense of the strong verbs (synthetical): nakien, nauken, zakien, zagoen, zabilen... etc, (standard neukan, zebilen... etc.):
nik berandu artio ez nakin euskeras hitzik ere
kontestatu behar tzuten altxatuta zaudenak
ya beandu xamar zela baña ya bazkaltzeko zauken zerbait
However, the -e also exists within some areas of the dialect: in Leitza, Arano and Larraun (here it alternates with -a-):
Moxkortute hola bueltaka emen zebiltzen herriin
Hori enekin nik
dena preparatuba zeon
Also in the Barranca, forms such as zoken presuppose za-:
horrek ez zuken holako meritu haundirik, ezkil horrek etzoken
2-The nitzen form, without -n (standard nintzen) is a characteristic of the all the Navarrese - Basque speaking dialects:
ibiltzen nitzen herritan kartak partitzen
ta harrekin batian joan nitzen ni re
hasi nitzen Zentralian
hamabi urte nitulaiken joan nitzen artzai koxkorra
3-In the forms of the Nor-Nori- Nork, the pluralizing is -it-, like in the Nor-Nork (ditio..etc). This is a trait which is exclusive to this dialect (not found in any other, except for the Baztanese):
Orain jartzen ttiote
asko gauze nik ezautzen eznituenak ematen zitireten
However, in certain areas forms with -zki- appear, such as in Arano (in Leitza, of the dazkit type):
ta denak paatzen zizkiuten
4-In a part of the zone the use of due etc., for dute etc. At least in the area comprising Leitzaran, Barranca, Araitz, Larraun (here dui) and a part of Basaburua Menor:
baina soñuba denak diferentea due
billatu behar zuin makille eoke xamarra
horrek eakutsi ta dantzatzen zuin...
dena goittik bera bota zuen ta etzuen deusee bilatu
edan eitten due
5-Duzie (Larraun duzi) for duzue can be heard around the Ultzama and Larraun:
Badakizie holako kantue kantatzen?
6-In verbs which finish in -n (edan, egon, izan etc), the future form is generally in -en:
Eztittue bueltatu izanen
Yoanen zela gure etxera ta gurekin hitzegiñen zula
In many towns this final -anen, -onen is pronounced -ain, -oin:
dirua ere ezuten sobrante izain seguru aski ta
eta main dizut pasea
baño nik uste ot hemen eitten zenen inguruko herritan e eitten izain zela
The Guipuzcoan form -ngo is heard rarely in Larraun, Areso, Arano and Araitz.
7-Instead of diet, diezu, zien, zaie, etc. forms of the type diotet (=diet), zioten (=zien), zaiote (=zaie) are quite general in this zone, that is to say -ote instead of -e-:
haiei jokatuko ziotela horrek
ta esaten nioten soldadu hoiei:
In the areas where due(=dute) is used, they also say dioe (Leitza dioa) (=die), that is to say, -oe- (-oa-) for -e-:
Etxe guzie nastu in zioan
ezkaatzen esan giñioan
hark esan zioan etzula uste
8-In certain verbs with -n in almost all areas of this dialect the verbal noun is formed in -iten (generally pronounced -tten), like the French-Basque speakers: izatten, ematten, egotten, eramatten:
etzen goatzerik izatten
bertze jende turista erraiten ten horiek ere
Bai, izaiten da bizkorki
However, in Larraun, Araitz, Barranca and Ultzama we have -ten, and sporadically also in other parts, from the prestige of the standard form:
izate a tu-tut
9-For the past form of the Nor-Nori (zitzaion etc.) the root is -KI instead of -TZA in a part of the zone (Ultzama, Imotz and The Barranca) so zekion/zakion instead of zitzaion. In the Barranca this root is also used in the present tense: dakio etc. for zaio etc.:
asko gustetzen dakit
10-The verbal flexions, within their variety, share one main characteristic in general: the hiatus (zegoen, zuen, nekien, genuen, duela, dagoela... etc), are reduced to their first vowel (zegon, zun, nun, nekin, genun, dula, dagola... etc). This does not happen in the Barranca and Ultzama:
han izandu genitun atake goorrak
ne atte zenak eukitzen emen zun hoi prestatota gordii
nik berandu artio ez nakin euskeras hitzik ere
eta hori in ta ya beste zortzien bat urtes harrekin lan in nun
behiei kausitten ta pasatzen nun bizie
hamabi urte nitulaiken joan nitzen artzai koxkorra
gaizki pasatu giñun batzutan
But cf.:
nik dena itten nuen, goizien ta asaldien ta gaubien ta denetan
zer atra behar zuen esan zireten komedorian
11- As well as the earlier traits, which are systemized, it should be pointed out that in this dialect many non-standard verbal flexions may be heard. The version in unified Basque clarifies the equivalence in each case:
Geo eaman giñuzen (gintuzten) Oviedo bertaa
Pues, maiz zeatzen tzittuten, (zituzten) prestatzen tzittuten
sartu eztaizkenak (daitezke) ez biño betire erdi erdera ta...
ta joan ginen harea t´ezkiñuzen (genituen) saldu
oain makinak eta badere (dira)
Bai nik e estudioik eztoket (daukat)
batien santuba sartu zubela errekaa sekoa ziolakos (zihoan)
ondo aittu yaiz (haiz) edo geizki aittu yaiz
ta gero artzai nindabillela (nenbilen)
12- In the periphrastic conjugation all types of verbal contractions may be heard, although the corpus is not sufficient to systematize and define the zones. The contractions of behar + transitive auxiliary are very characteristic in this dialect.
in beadiau horno at hor Zizurren, eta: nauk sozio?
bakarriken goaiñ oso diferente eitteunte lana
oain ya ortziralian lan in ta utzitzeunte
zuk oso ongi errezatzauzule arrosarioa
orain in behauzu
In behaizut pase bat Donostire joateko hillebete bateko
hitz in biait
13-There is a general tendency (non-distinctive) in the Navarre language to confuse the verbal paradigms nor-nork and nor nori-nork (generally in favor of the second). What is distinctive (it establishes an isogloss ) is the degree to which the tendency has been completed: total confusion characterizes the Southern High Navarrese. But in other speech-areas it also occurs (Ultzama) and as a tendency it is widespread: Ituren, Barranca:
ta honek emain dizu Donostira
kanpeonato askota eramaten tzieten
However, the difference is not lost everywhere:
Geo eaman giñuzen Oviedo bertaa
ta denak paatzen zizkiuten
14- However, the difference is not lost everywhere:
ni naiz Miel, nausi o itten dutena
Inversely, in some areas (at least in the Ultzama), the forms connected in -da- have reproduced a free analogical form in -da: zaida, zaira, dida, (and by way of harmonious vocalization zaide, zaire, etc. (although never with the forms such as dut, dakit, etc.)
naho nuen man balire komendante horretxek itxera joateko
15- The casual suffix -lako has the variant of lako(t)z (and -lakos), as in the continental dialects:
batien santuba sartu zubela errekaa sekoa ziolakos
...txarrak! urte txarrak dire, eztelakoz
NOMINAL
16- All over this zone the -ak is not distinguished from -ek in plural:
baina soñuba denak diferentea due
usazaliak iten zte oihu batzuk
ta urdun kontestatu behar tzuten altxatuta zaudenak
17-The instrumental is -es over a large part of the zone (standard Basque: -z) just like in the Southern High Navarrese. Especially in the Barranca, where it is unique, but in other spoken areas (Basaburua, Ultzama, Larraun, Imotz), here in concurrence with -z:
ta gero bi urtes o in zen holako esibizio at
nik berandu artio ez nakin euskeras hitzik ere
Zer modues habille amigo Arroki
pues oñes ikasi orduko
18-The phonetic augmentatives in z- are typical of the Navarrese dialects: zuleta, zapela, etc. They also exist in other dialects, but here they are the normal:
zuleta bat zartai betekoa
19-In the numbers the forms with -tan are very common: hirutan hogei, lautan hogei (=hirurogei, laurogei), Although, these last ones can also be heard (for reasons of prestige of the Guipuzcoan and the standard form):
Nik lauetan hoite zazpi urte konplittu dittut
20-The nondik case in the indefinite and the plural forms is made in -tarik in the Ultzama, just as in the Southern High Navarrese.
21-In the Ultzama it is very common to use -arendako for -arentzat:
Zer egunek pasti ihaittuzun! Dena zuretako dao.
22-In words such as artzain, arrain, haurtzain, etc, in all the dialect the forms in -ai predominate: artzai, arrai, haurtzai etc:
hamabi urte nitulaiken joan nitzen artzai koxkorra
ta gero artzai nindabillela
23-It is quite general to keep the final Spanish -ón in the loan words (in standard Basque -oi): pantalona, perdigona, kamiona, jipona, botona, xabona. (although this is not the case with the older loan words: arratoi is general):
Ta kamionak kargatu
Eta, batallonian, batallona da...
A peculiarity of Leitza is the adaptation of -obe as this termination:
¡Viva, viva!, balkobetik fuerte esanez
24-In the demonstratives there exist many non-standard forms. It is particularly common to find the form harr- of the third person singular demonstrative:
ta harrekin batian joan nitzen ni re
ta harrentzat ematen giñun indarra
eta hori in ta ya beste zortzien bat urtes harrekin lan in nun
Eta bazen ordun harren... Kapitana Rufino zuen
Es normalísimo Hok por hauek, declinado hoketan, hoketara, etc.
nik hemen herri ttiki hoketaa, Zarranzaa ta holako... Goldaaza eta hoketaa
In Etxalar hek exists for haiek:
hek ikusi balimazte usua nola sartzen den
hekin jetxiazi al den guziya
PHONETICS
25-The automatic palatalization after -i is general and stronger than in other zones (it affects, for example, the auxiliary verb: ttuzu, ttugu etc). This does not happen in Etxalar, where there is no palatalization:
Zer egunek pasti ihaittuzun! Dena zuretako dao.
Tierra honetan egitten dittik bero ikaragarriek
But cf.:
ta azpiyan harrautzen tu.
26-On the western side of this dialect (Leitza, Goizueta, Malerreka, Bertizarana, Basaburua, Araitz, Larraun, Imotz) there is a tendency to open, above all, the u, but also the i: dot, dozo, dakizo, are typical flexions from Leitza, for example. Also many speakers pronounce -to in the participles in -tu (galdeto, harrapato):
ta geo sekatota de, euki...
hainbeste esker irui do etzaiola ematen
ne atte zenak eukitzen emen zun hoi prestatota gordii
Much less common is the e for i, although it does occur, especially in Larraun and in a part of Basaburua Menor: nek (nik), -tek (tik), -eken (-ekin), ekarre, eose (egosi) etc.:
nik oso gutxi besteik eztaket
hola galdezkan etorre zen batentzat
billatu behar zuin makille eoke xamarra
27-In the declination between the i and the article, a transition sound is built up as happens in a large part of Guipuzcoa: mendiya, ttikiya, herriya. This phenomenon occurs in Arano (but not in Goizueta), Cinco Villas, the north of Malerreka and the Barranca:
Gu, mutiko txikiyak giñala
ta azpiyan harrautzen tu.
eta orduan die batzuk han